President Bush signed the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact into law on October 3, 2008. It places strict restrictions on water diversions and sets uniform standards for monitoring new water use proposals within the basin. Sea Grant Water Quality Specialist Vicky Harris received one of the pens that Governor Jim Doyle used when he signed the compact on behalf of the State of Wisconsin.

Online discussion group on climate change forms

We invite you to share your thoughts about climate change in the Great Lakes region via our online discussion forum at www.seagrant.wisc.edu/climatechange. Post evidence that the climate is changing in the area where you live; suggest what, if anything, can or should be done to stop global warming; and describe what actions, if any, you have taken or plan to take to reduce your “carbon footprint.” The forum is an outcome of a 2007 seminar series, Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region: Starting a Public Discussion, sponsored by UW Sea Grant, the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, and NOAA.

The cost of invasive species to the Great Lakes

The cost of invasive species to the Great Lakes regional economy is estimated to be about $200 million for 2006, according a study conducted by the Center for Aquatic Conservation at the University of Notre Dame. Preliminary findings indicate that aquatic invasives have cost the U.S. sport fishing industry $124 million and the commercial fishery $2 million. Tourism is down by about $47 million, while increased costs for raw water users are about $27 million.